/13 FTR37 hum issue

Just got a used FTR37 yesterday...great sounding amp! Before bugging Fred thought I'd put this out here.

I realize that it's normal for this amp to have a certain amount of noise floor at idle, no problem there. It's when I plug in my pedal board to the amp, I get a significant hum. The board is mostly true bypass pedals & powered by the most recent Juicebox.

I've had no other issues like this with the pedalboard in the same setting with other amps (Marshall, Fedner, Komet, Heritage, Tophat, Victoria, etc.). I've tried different wall plugs, zeroing the opposite channel, fan on/off, etc...seems the same with both channels. I guess I might need to see if it's a particular pedal that's reacting with the signal, but I doubt it since I've not had this issue with any other amp.

i've owned 4 ... some are noisier than others ... some are dead silent ... the ftr37 was the noisiest one in my experience. Let me rephrase ... fred's amps that i have owned have been kind of noisy ... but once you're playing in a band or recording ... you don't even notice it. But then again ... i think all amps are noisy.

I bought a new 37 (my first /13 amp) and it had a louder than normal hum even with nothing plugged in the input. I had to crank one of my other amps to match the hum of the 37. I called Fred and he did some troubleshooting with me on the phone. The hum was in the click channel as mentioned in an earlier post. I sent it back to Fred and he quickly checked it out and responded that the hum was normal for that amp. I had the amp back in 2 days. If you can live with the hum, it is a great sounding amp as you probably know already. Plus Fred's customer service is top notch. I want to try out some of his other amps very soon.

My RSA 23 is very quiet. My ERT 33, while not as quiet, was quieter than most amps I've heard. You'd be hard pressed to find an amp that doesn't hum to some extent when cranked. You'll never hear it live.

It may be the proximity of the pedals to the amp. I have one great sounding wah that makes noise (hum) through one of my amps if it is within 2-3 feet. Move the pedalboard away (8 feet) while plugged in and see if you have the same problem. Some of the best sounding amps are very sensitive to nearby interference.

Thanks guys...really appreciate the repsonses. I think I got it partially figured out. Tonight I got home plugged & played for a while (nice sounding amp!)...then tried it with the pedal board...bingo, no hum. Did some mysterious thing happen in the night?? :NUTS

Then I switched on my Colonial (and then my 18 watter) which is plugged into the other and...the hum returned. Then took the pedalboard out of the chain...hum gone again.

I think Shallbe has a point...amps like this are possibly sensitive to proximity and perhaps wiring in the walls & other stuff plugged in and drawing currnet? I may try swapping pedals around to see if that makes a difference, or as Peter mentioned, dealing with the ground (not sure how to go about that just yet). But the amp is fine.

As far as I'm concerned I've got it figured out well enough for now. "If" I ever "need" a multi-amp setup here in my home office/study, I'll deal with it then. And concerning the noise floor thing...I encountered that with the Komet 60 I had, and quickly got over it.

And boy does it like pedals...esp. the Crunch Box & OCD, but really anything I've tried. Oh, the Crunch Box...I'm lovin that pedal. What I recall about playing GoodGas's FTR is the sweet/rich personality it had when cranked. I seem to be getting that even at low volume & a pedal...musically spongy, with nice depth and fatness. I could go on and on...honeymoon, ya know.

Thanks again for the suggestions...I'll post if discover anything else.
Greg

And boy does it like pedals...esp. the Crunch Box & OCD, but really anything I've tried. Oh, the Crunch Box...I'm lovin that pedal. What I recall about playing GoodGas's FTR is the sweet/rich personality it had when cranked. I seem to be getting that even at low volume & a pedal...musically spongy, with nice depth and fatness. I could go on and on...honeymoon, ya know.

Thanks again for the suggestions...I'll post if discover anything else.
Greg

Click to expand...

heheh. Yeah, I've found the my '37 is noisier through some circuits in my house than others. Overall, I'd call it moderately noisey on the click channel. The other channel doesn't really have an issue, noise-wise.

As for the pedals...man, do I ever agree about the Crunch Box (thanks Jeff!!) The '37's clean channel turns into a fire-breathing JTM-45 with the CB in front. Damn I love that freekin pedal!!!